Healthy Gummies Recipe for Kids

Gummies That Are Truly a Snack

I’ve always found it odd that those little sugar-filled packets of gummies for kids are called “fruit snacks”. I mean, giving kids a packet of sugar is hardly what I would call a snack of fruit. But this healthy gummies recipe for kids actually can qualify as a snack without any guilt!

With only honey and maple syrup to add sweetness to the fruit in these healthy homemade fruit snacks, they are completely refined sugar free. Which means you won’t even have to wrestle with your conscience over letting your kids have some in between meals 🙂

And if you are doubting whether kids can enjoy these no sugar gummies as much as the ones from a package, let me just tell you that my kids go absolutely crazy for these easy healthy fruit snacks. And when I say crazy, I mean they will barely let me put these gummies away before they gobble them all up!

And it’s not just my kids who have given these sugar free gummies an excited shout of approval. One of my 7-year-old daughter’s friends was over for a playdate when I pulled my very first batch of fruit snacks out of the fridge. Both of my girls and my daughter’s friend literally could not get enough of them.

And to top it all off, this irresistible healthy gummies recipe is so easy to make. Which is really good news, because once your kids get a taste of them, they will beg you to make more every day (mine certainly do) ☺️

The only down side to these homemade fruit snacks is that they are so delicious, they get eaten up almost as soon as you make them. But, hey, that’s the price we pay for creating healthier sweets for our kids that nourish and satisfy 😁

Oh, and another thing that is great about these fruit snacks without sugar is the fact that you can make them out of any berries or fruit your kids like. You can also use fresh or frozen fruit, which means you can economically make these any time of the year.

Additionally, this recipe is very forgiving and flexible. The ingredient amounts listed in the recipe card are more of recommendations than instructions. If your child prefers more or less sweetness, simply adjust the honey and maple syrup amounts accordingly.

You can also use just honey or just maple syrup instead of the combination. I like to use a combination because I prefer the health benefits of honey but I don’t want them to taste like honey since my older daughter doesn’t like honey. So I do half-half, but you can certainly do all of one type of natural sweetener.

However you choose to sweeten these refined sugar free gummies, they will be a big hit with any kid 🙂

Ideal Times to Make Healthy Gummies for Kids

This healthy gummies recipe for kids is so simple and takes all of 15 minutes to make, so you can easily whip them up anytime. But I will remind you that they will get eaten up as soon as they come out of the fridge 😀 So staying stocked up on these gummies can be tricky.

I literally had to restrict my children from eating the dinosaur batches of gummies I made for a few days so I could get enough made for the photos in this post. It was a challenge – even though there were other, non-dinosaur-shaped batches they could still eat! Homemade gummies get gone SO fast because they are THAT good 🙂

My best advice for making these last for a few days instead of your kids devouring them all in one sitting is to hide them 🙂 Otherwise, it’s pretty hopeless.

Along similar lines, if you want to make these for a holiday or special occasion, keep them well-concealed until you are ready to present them to your kids. Because if they know you are making heart-shaped gummies for Valentine’s Day … those little hearts will not survive until Valentine’s Day.

Speaking of Valentine’s Day, that is actually a perfect opportunity to make these healthy sugar free gummies.

These would also be great in egg and bunny shapes for Easter, pumpkin shape for Halloween and Christmas tree shape for Christmas.

These are also the perfect little treat to put in your kids’ school lunchbox as a healthy dessert. Just imagine how it would brighten your kids’ first few days back to school after a break to know you made these delightful fruit snack gummies just for them 🙂

But honestly, you don’t need a holiday or occasion as an excuse to learn how to make healthy homemade gummies. They are so easy, just go make some now 😀

Ingredients

• Fruit of Choice: Real fruit is the base of these healthy fruit snacks. You can use a variety of berries or other fruits to achieve your desired flavors and/or colors. Fresh or frozen works fine (make sure to thaw first if using frozen).

• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a little burst of tart flavor and also acts as a preservative.

• Water: Water provides a bit more necessary liquid to effectively puree the fruit.

• Raw Honey: Raw, unfiltered honey is one of the natural sweeteners in this healthy gummies recipe. The best price I have found for raw, unfiltered honey is on Amazon, but you can also get it at Trader Joe’s and sometimes Home Goods.

• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup adds a bit more sweetness without the honey flavor taking over the gummies. Make sure you have 100% real maple syrup.

• Gelatin: Gelatin is responsible for thickening and firming up these real fruit gummies. I use beef gelatin that is grass-fed.

Instructions

Step 1

Add all ingredients except the gelatin to a small blender and blend until smooth.

Step 2

Pour fruit puree into a medium-size pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly over the surface.

Step 3

Turn on the heat to medium and whisk puree constantly until it just begins to boil. Turn off the heat.

Step 4

Using a small spoon, fill candy molds to the top until all puree is used up.

Step 5

Place candy molds in the fridge for at least one hour before removing the gummies. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Substitutions & Tips

• You can use any fruit of your choice to make these gummies. You can also use fresh or frozen fruit. If you use frozen fruit, it is best to let it thaw before attempting to puree it. I used blueberries, strawberries and mangos to make the gummies in the photos (no food coloring needed!).

• Although the recipe card says to use honey and maple syrup, you can alternatively use just one or the other and use the combined total amount (instead of 28 g of honey and 28 grams of maple syrup, use 56 grams of honey OR 56 grams of maple syrup). I like to use honey for its health benefits, but my 7-year-old doesn’t like the taste of honey. So I use some honey but balance the flavor with maple syrup as well.

• Feel free to adjust the amounts of natural sweeteners and lemon juice in this healthy gummies recipe. This is a very forgiving and flexible recipe – you can simply adjust it to taste!

• You can make these gelatin gummies with any candy molds you prefer. I used dinosaur molds I had on hand because my kids love dinosaurs. But you can also buy gummy bear molds.

• These homemade fruit snacks only need to be refrigerated for about an hour before they can be removed from the candy molds and eaten. However, they will get a little bit more firm if you leave them to chill for several hours. So if your kids prefer them more firm, let them chill longer.